The summer of 2020 will have varied meanings for people around the world. For Eugene L. Brill, a nature photojournalist and nonfiction author, it meant inspirational walks around New Orleans’ Lafreniere Park. In his newly-released coffee table book, “Summer of 2020: Walks at Lafreniere Park,” Brill shares the history and photography of this natural oasis which includes a staggering number of bird species.
The book includes a brief history of New Orleans (including the history of the first settlers, Native Americans, Pirates on the Mississippi, the Flood of 1927, Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone). It also highlights the park’s rich history and shares images of its many birds and other wildlife. The author tells the story of Attorney General Lafreniere, explains the park’s initial concept in 1975 and documents what it’s like today through its more than 50 plus wildlife photos.
“The bird life in Lafreniere Park is unsuspectingly spectacular,” Brill says. “Usually when there’s a ‘Bird Sanctuary’ sign you may expect to see a few birds. However, the pure multitude of birds in this park is mind-boggling. They live and thrive in perfect harmony with their human neighbors. My desire is to give people a sense, through my photographs, of what it’s like to spend time among the birds of Lafreniere Park.”
The foreword is written by Andrew Ward, Ph.D., chairman and co-founder HIV Awareness “iKnow” Music Project—East Africa.
“There’s an intimacy to Brill’s work; one has the sense of peeking into someone else’s private family photo album,” Ward says.
Brill shares that he hopes his passion for photography, the environment, nature and wildlife are evident throughout the book.
“Feeding my curiosity for history and my interest in photography, I further developed my love of the natural world that has since become the primary focus of my life. My goal is to use photography to bring history to life,” Brill says.
“Summer of 2020: Walks at Lafreniere Park” is available for purchase here: https://www.eugenebrill.me/books
And:
Amazon: Hard Cover with Full-color Dust Jacket — ISBN: 978-1715663896
Independent Book Sellers: Hard Cover with Full-color Dust Jacket — ISBN: 978-1715616809
Soft Cover with flexible, high-gloss laminated cover — ISBN: 978-1715629731
Instant PDF version — Viewable on any device
eBook — Available for Amazon Kindle Fire®, and Apple iOS devices